Aras Omid and Mehmet Fikir, who established a “mustard seed pickles” production facility in the village of Küplü, connected to the center of Bilecik, sent samples to overseas markets in the USA, Canada, and Germany to export their products that attract attention in the Marmara and Central Anatolia regions. After graduating from the Department of International Relations at the Faculty of Political Sciences at Ankara University in 2012, Omid, who is a sworn translator in English, Persian, Uzbek, and Hindi, and Fikir, who worked as a customs guard at the Ministry of Commerce for many years, left their jobs in August 2024 to roll up their sleeves and establish a pickle production facility.

Renting a depot on the basement floor of a 2-story building in the 447-populated Küplü village, the duo who put their 60 square meter facility into operation after 3 months of work, turn the provided vegetables such as carrots, eggplants, peppers, and garlic obtained from producers in Antalya into pickles by adding mustard seeds after undergoing sterilization, washing, and chopping phases. Omid and Fikir, who produce an average of 1,500 to 2,000 jars of pickles per week and market their products to local product markets in Istanbul and Ankara, as well as in the Marmara and Central Anatolia regions, are preparing for export to the USA, Canada, and Germany, where they sent samples.

38-year-old Aras Omid, a married father of one from Afghanistan, told an AA correspondent that after graduating, he worked in the private sector and opened a sworn translation office in Ankara. Omid, who also expressed his interest in foreign trade, continued: “I was working to contribute to Turkey’s exports. Thanks to my connections abroad, I noticed the interest in mustard seed pickles, which are common in Middle Eastern cuisine but not professionally produced in Europe. I shared my idea with my classmate Mehmet Fikir and we decided to start a business.”

Omid mentioned that their products receive significant interest in markets in Istanbul and Ankara and they have received positive feedback. Therefore, Omid explained that they decided to enter the foreign market. He said, “Through our friends dealing with foreign trade, we sent samples to markets in the USA, Canada, and Germany. Orders started to come in, and we are currently preparing for the export process.”

36-year-old Mehmet Fikir, a married father of one, mentioned that he resigned from the civil service he had been doing for 12 years to establish their facility and then started researching. Emphasizing that their pickles have a unique taste due to the mustard seeds, Fikir said, “Our pickles are prepared by boiling vegetables at specific temperatures and fermenting them. We also ferment them with mustard seeds. Mustard seeds are not commonly used in Turkish pickles but are widespread in German and American cuisine. They are also frequently used in Central Asia and the Middle East. With its unique flavor and the vitamins and minerals it contains, mustard seeds give the pickles a different taste and nutritional value.”

Fikir highlighted that their products can last for a long time without the need for additives thanks to fermentation. Pointing out the increasing interest in healthy and natural foods in recent years, Fikir said, “We plan to diversify our products to meet this demand. We produce with vegetables picked in season and aim to expand our product range. We want to diversify our pickles fermented with mustard seeds by using different vegetables.”